search

GrapeSodaGames / learn

GNU General Public License v3.0
0 stars 0 forks source link

Read Chapter 9 of "The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses" #65

Closed zaphodb2002 closed 1 month ago

zaphodb2002 commented 1 month ago

Chapter 9: The Game Is Made for a Player

Einstein's Violin

Know your audience

Demographics

Age is a pretty good indicator of available time for play

Gender

Stereotypes about What Males Like To See In Games

  1. Mastery
  2. Competition
  3. Destruction
  4. Spatial Puzzles
  5. Trial and Error

Stereotypes about What Females Like To See In Games

  1. Emotion
  2. Real World
  3. Nurturing
  4. Dialog and verbal puzzles
  5. Learning by example
LENS 019: The Lens of the Player
To use this lens, stop thinking about your game, and start thinking about your player.  Ask yourself these questions:
1. In general, what do they like?
2. What don't they like?  Why?
3. What do they expect to see in a game?
4. If I were in their place, what would I want to see in a game?
5. What would they like or dislike about my game in particular?
A good game designer should always be thinking of the player and should be an advocate for the player.  Skilled designers hold the Lens of the Player and Lens 010: Holographic Design in the same hand, thinking about the player, the experience of the game, and the mechanics of the game all at the same time.  Thinking about the player is useful, but even more useful is watching them play your game.  The more you observe them playing, the more easily you'll be able to predict what they are going to enjoy.

Psychographics

LeBlanc's Taxonomy of Game Pleasures

  1. Sensation
  2. Fantasy
  3. Narrative
  4. Challenge
  5. Fellowship
  6. Discovery
  7. Expression
  8. Submission

Bartle's Taxonomy of Player Types

  1. Achievers - Challenge
  2. Explorers - Discovery
  3. Socializers - Fellowship
  4. Killers - Competition/Destruction

More Pleasures

  1. Anticipation
  2. Completion
  3. Schadenfreude
  4. Gift giving
  5. Humor
  6. Possibility
  7. Pride in accomplishment
  8. Surprise
  9. Thrill
  10. Triumph over adversity
  11. Wonder
LENS 020: The Lens of Pleasure
To use this lens, think about the kinds of pleasure your game does and does not provide.  Ask yourself these questions:

1. What pleasures does your game give to players?  Can these be improved?
2. What pleasures are mission from your experience?  Why?  Can they be added?

Ultimately, the job of a game is to give pleasure.  By going through lists of known pleasures and considering how well your game delivers each one, you may be inspired to make changes to your game that will increase your players' enjoyment.  Always be on the lookout, though, for unique, unclassified pleasures not found in most games -- for one of these things might be what gives your game the unique quality it needs.

Recommended Reading